Portable electronic devices such as tablets and smartphones are ubiquitous on modern passenger aircraft. Passengers often prop-up their portable electronic devices via a tray table and the back surface of the seat in front of the passenger, possibly also utilizing a separate stand element built into a portable electronic device case.
Reclining seats can interfere with existing solutions allowing passengers to use portable electronic devices on an aircraft. For example, portable electronic device holders may be built into a tray table, but the separate ranges of motion between the tray table and the corresponding reclining seat means that a position and orientation of a portable electronic device that is suitable when the seat is upright may be unsuitable when the seat is reclined. Furthermore, tray tables are no longer a standard configuration.
Existing solutions disposed directly beneath an in-seat video monitor require a bifold tray table because there isn't enough space for a single-piece tray table. Currently, there is no portable electronic device holder option separate from a single-piece tray table.